Deputies: Man charged with animal cruelty after goat, horses found without proper care

Boone County deputies said a man faces charges after a goat was found without access to water and three horses were discovered in what appeared to be malnourished condition.

Troy Wilson Wheatley, 38, of Logan is charged with animal cruelty and procuring utilities, according to a criminal complaint filed in Boone County Magistrate Court.

On Friday, a deputy responded to the Hurricane Branch area to meet with an animal rescue organization that wanted to seize the animals that were in the care of Wheatley, the complaint said. The deputy saw a male goat that was tied to a tree and had wrapped itself around the tree several times to the point it could not get water.

Meanwhile, the complaint said three horses in a barn had no food, and the water in the stalls appeared to be stagnated. None of the stalls had been cleaned in a while, and horse manure was above the ankles of the rescuers. The horses appeared to be malnourished, and the officer said could see ribs and hip bones on two of the animals.

Rescue workers loaded the horses onto a trailer and transported them to one of their rescue facilities.

The deputy said he also walked around the barn and saw a water hose running from the barn and illegally connected to a water hookup.

Wheatley is currently being held in Southwestern Regional Jail. Boone County Magistrate Danny Moore set bond at $5,000 property or $500 cash.